How to prepare for your Columbia Business School MBA admissions interview

Congratulations!

You have been invited

to interview with

... Now what?

Here are a few quick tips to get your started preparing for your Columbia Business School MBA admissions interview

Prepare early, and often

Start preparing right after you apply. My clients who apply in July, August and September are often invited within two weeks of submitting applications. Those who apply in November and December might take longer, more like one month.

Even if Columbia does not invite you to interview, the preparation will help with other schools. Since Columbia interviews are conducted by alumni, I encourage you to start your self-study by using my "mirror method".

Respond quickly

Once you get invited to interview, do NOT take too long in deciding whom to contact regarding for your Columbia Business School alumni interview. As CBS admissions says,

We strongly suggest that you arrange your interview within two weeks of this invitation and complete your interview within one month from today. Keep in mind that in a rolling admissions process, it will be to your advantage to schedule your interview for the earliest date convenient for both you and your Ambassador.

Columbia matters most to Columbia.

Why?

Yield

A friend of mine conducts interview Columbia alumni interviews in the United States

He recently showed me the interview criteria that Columbia asks him to use when evaluating applicants

As I read it, I noticed that Columbia asks interviewers to evaluate how interested you are in the school

In fact, they mention it several times

Columbia asks its alumni to confirm your interest and commitment to Columbia in order to protect its yield, which is around 72% (vs 90% at HBS)

Q: Why Columbia?

A: Location, location, location.

One of my clients chose Columbia over Stanford GSB because he wanted to pursue a career in the art industry after graduation

Stanford may want to become a leading arts center, but they cannot compete with New York City

Think of a reason why you MUST go to NYC for your MBA

How does being there for two years best prepare you to achieve your goals?

Then, be sure to mention the people and student culture that reinforce your learning objectives and maximize your opportunities to achieve your post MBA goals

Talk about how the CBS alumni that you know fit your personality

Mention how they used the degree to achieve their goals

Then, draw a logical line that shows why CBS is also the best place for you